Jewish Leaders Congratulate Benjamin Netanyahu On Israeli Election Victory, What About Obama?
As Benjamin Netanyahu looks forward to another four years as the Prime Minister of Israel, having defeated his rivals on the left with 30 mandates compared to 24, he has received congratulations from many Jewish leaders from across the spectrum.
Following the Israeli election result, which was announced in the early hours of Wednesday morning, World Jewish Congress (WJC) president Ronald S. Lauder was among the first to congratulate Netanyahu.
As he said to reporters, reacting the news from Israel, Lauder said the following.
“Israel is one of the world’s great democracies and once again, its people have shown this through a free and open democratic election. Prime Minister Netanyahu has demonstrated his tremendous leadership abilities over the years along with his incredible dedication to the Jewish state of Israel. At a time that has seen a dangerous increase in anti-Semitic attacks throughout the world, the next few years will be a challenge for Jews everywhere, and I look forward to working with Prime Minister Netanyahu to make the world a safer place for all people.”
Another prominent Jewish leader to congratulate Netanyahu, Michael Siegal, chair of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA)’s board of trustees, said as follows.
” ‘On behalf of Jewish Federations throughout North America we congratulate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,’ Siegal stated. ‘The high voter turnout and vibrant campaigning were demonstrations of the robustness of Israel’s democratic system. We also congratulate all of those who were elected to the Knesset yesterday. We are looking forward to working with the future government.’ “
However, despite those words of congratulations to Netanyahu, no such “mazel tov” has yet been forthcoming from the White House, with President Obama remaining eerily quiet so far, having not so much as sent the Israeli Prime Minister a text message.
That fact will come as no surprise to most who are well aware of the ongoing rivalry between two world leaders, whose worldview is more than just a little different.
Despite that, Netanyahu now has the arduous task of negotiating a coalition which will be robust, representative of the Israeli public, and stand the test of time.
